Dale Steyn had just two overs left. Between him and AB de Villiers they decided to station a third man for Umar Akmal. On cue, the Pakistan gloveman tried to heave a full delivery over midwicket but got a leading edge to where South Africa had placed their tallest man. Morne Morkel judged the catch perfectly, avoiding the boundary and grabbing the ball. For Pakistan, that should have been a minor setback.

Three balls later, Misbah-ul-Haq tried to take Steyn on. He aimed where Akmal had been trying to go but he did not strike the ball cleanly. AB de Villiers came in from the boundary to take the catch. And two balls after that, Saeed Ajmal attempted a pull to a good length ball, missed and saw his stumps shattered.

In the space of an over, Dale Steyn had racked up his best bowling figures in ODI cricket. Pakistan had gone from 228 for 5 to 231 for 8 and the series was settled.

Six balls was all it took to undo the hard graft by Pakistan's opening pair, who put on their second successive stand of fifty-plus, and the effort of the debutant Sohaib Maqsood, who put his seniors to shame with an innings underlined by confidence and crafted with good technique. Six balls was all it took to ensure Pakistan run of two years and nine months without a successful chase of over 250 extended another day. And six balls was all it took to ensure South Africa's record of never having been defeated by Pakistan in a bilateral series intact.

The series scoreline as it stands now - 3-1 in favour of South Africa - is an accurate reflection of where the teams stand. Both have improved from the first match, when they made scoring 200 seem a task akin to climbing Everest, but South Africa's progress has accelerated past Pakistan, particularly in the batting department.

It has taken Quinton de Kock nine ODIs to produce the impact performance that suggests he belongs at this level but he delivered in a way that reflects his own growth. Having come on to the scene with a worrying looseness outside of the offstump and weakness against spin, he had done a lot of work and it showed.

De Kock had the advantage of Hashim Amla's experience in the opening passage of play and Amla was seen offering advice when run-scoring was difficult for de Kock early on. Amla asserted his authority over Mohammad Irfan and took the pressure off de Kock, who almost succumbed to it when he flashed to Mohammad Hafeez at slip on two but was dropped, to allow the younger batsman to play himself in.

De Kock's footwork helped him handle Pakistan's spinners with much more ease than he has done in the past and he rotated strike with AB de Villiers well. He gave South Africa a platform from which they could aim for a total of over 270.

Pakistan almost dragged South Africa back when they took three wickets in four overs but their seamers lacked control at the beginning and end of the innings while Ajmal went wicketless for the first time in 10 matches. They conceded 45 runs in the last five overs, leaving their batsmen with a tough task.

Ahmed Shehzad and Hafeez seemed up for it. They battled through a lean early period, scoring only eight runs in the first five overs, before breaking the shackles. Shehzad, as he has been throughout the series, drove, cut and pulled well. Hafeez was more tentative and more streaky, getting a few runs off the edge, but showed good patience.

After Shehzad's run-out - a result of not grounding his bat - Hafeez should have taken some responsibility but played for a legspinner as Imran Tahir got one to go straight on and was bowled. Lonwabo Tsotsobe deceived Asad Shafiq with extra bounce and Pakistan had lost three wickets in 15 deliveries to teeter on the brink of collapse.

Maqsood and Misbah put on 88 for the fourth wicket with the debutant showing his hard-hitting ability and Misbah continually moving across his stumps to his the ball behind square. They took on Tahir in particular but hit the South African seamers off their lines. Even though Pakistan had to chase at more than seven to the over, the target was not out of their sights.

De Villiers made astute bowling changes and brought Steyn back on in the second over of the Powerplay. Maqsood tried to take him on but was well caught by de Villiers at mid-on. From there, Morkel applied pressure, giving away only two runs in his eighth over and Pakistan had to attack Steyn.

Their plan of sending Sohail Tanvir up the order did not work and then they went into free fall. They lost five wickets for 10 runs which leaves Monday's final match in Sharjah a dead rubber.

Congratulations SA !! A thorough all round performance and deservingly winning the series. Great innings by DeKock. The yougster proved his talent and is a great future for South Africa. Dale Steyn after a long time has shown in wicket taking abilities in ODIs. Excellent performance from world's best fast bowler! Fielding was spot on for South Africa and Morne Morkel's catch to dismiss Umar Akmal needs a special mention. He made a tough catch look so easy. AB will feel much relieved and happy and is a terrific comeback for SA after poor outing in Champions Trophy, SL tour etc. After a long time SA have won two matches consecutively. This eleven looks so good and they need to give them a fair run. Kudos SA and keep up the consistency to become a top notch team again!!

malepas
on November 8, 2013, 21:40 GMT

Well played SA, Pak lost but will rue handing the first match and not picking the right people for next 2 matches, refreshing to watch Sohaib a good one for future, hope Pak will stop bringing back Umer Amin again and again,,he is not ready yet,, I think De-Villiers made a huge impact in this match with his fielding and it will be right to say that SA won this match because of its fielding. I think Afridi is seriously hurting PAK with lack of his batting confidence at a very crucial position,,Team needs a "FIRING" big hitter not one hit and
10 miss kind of player,,I can't see Afridi getting anywhere with his batting against top class pace attacks as they know what to bowl at him.
Pak lower order is too shallow and weak in batting which makes Afridi position is more important.

Dravid_Pujara_Gravitas
on November 12, 2013, 15:49 GMT

I'm sure pakistan envy the world class batting resources of its classy neighbours and wish they had a piece of it. It's surprising what kind of batless wonders pakistan manages to manufacture without fail.

Linkagoal
on November 12, 2013, 8:53 GMT

Pak played well this time, better done the ones played before!!

Fast_Track_Bully
on November 11, 2013, 6:47 GMT

Just wonder what is the role of Afridi. With all these experience he should take responsibility and take team to victory. It is not wise to keep him as a 'slogger' in the team. Even no:10 and 11 are more matured than him.

team_india_no1
on November 11, 2013, 5:05 GMT

It seems like comments on this article will go on and on.
I feel only thing Pakistan has to do is pick batsman with good temperament. For example, if they need 65 off 50 balls say. They should bring it down to 30 off 18 balls (scoring run-a-ball with an odd boundary) if good bowlers are bowling instead of starting hitting out. They should rely on the batsman at the crease ending the match instead of new batsman so it does not even matter if the batting lineup is long or short. That is what Indian batsman do. And those who are against Misbah style of play ask the people not from Pakistan who they fear most in this batting line-up and i feel we fear Misbah the most (not Afridi or a Hafeez or a Jamshed).
Abdul Razzaq and Azhar Mehmood are the last of the genuine all-rounders Pakistan has produced, they were hitters but had excellent temperament.

OverDcovers
on November 10, 2013, 14:27 GMT

Well Done and Well Played SA! On the other hand Pakistani Management should wake up to the reallity that with Hafeez in the team only despair shall be their fate! He's a permanent failure with the bat now therefore, for GOD SAKE get rid of him permanently and blood in some new players like Awais Zia etc. Misbah should only play as a player as he completely lacks the capacity of aggression. Younis should always be part of the team and maybe a team player an a fighter like Afridi should be captain again-dont expect miracles from Afridi at No. 7 when he has almost run out of partners. Actually this is the fruit of the bad intent seed that Misbah and Hafeez (The 2 interiguers) sowed, by forcefully fixing Hafeez at #3 to discard Younus and put Afridi at #7 to keep him out of the lime light. Sathi Sb! Save Pakistani Cricket and shunt these guys out or remove them from captaincies respectively for ODIz and T20z!

Haz95
on November 10, 2013, 14:24 GMT

Last comment of mine.
We really need to get rid of Afridi now and bring back Razzaq. Hafeez is very good, whether you like him or not, but he needs to bat down the order to avoid players like morkel and steyn. Misbah is a brill batsman but a terrible captain, he really needs to give the role to someone else, he defo needs to stay @number 4 or 5. Akmal needs to bat up the order, that's where he himself says he does the best, also we need a better wicketkeeper too, ideally Sarfraz Ahmed. Nasir Jamshed needs to return, no more Umar amin, Sohail Tanvir or Wahab Riaz. We need new players now.
Playing XI
Shehzad,Jamshed/Sharjeel Khan,Akmal,Maqsood,Ul Haq,Hafeez,Razzaq/Hammad Azam, Shahid Afridi(for bowling), Saeed Ajmal,Junaid Khan, Mohd Irfan.
If these guys fail, don't hesitate to try different players.
Main thing is, Hafeez should be captain(he's captained T20i very well) and Coach Whatmore should be no more.
Pak, really is full of talent, but have nooo confidence at all.

aidrees
on November 10, 2013, 11:49 GMT

Here is what Pakistan needs to Play for the next 12 months without any changes:
1) Nasir Jamshed
2) Ahmed Shehzad
3) Sohaib Maqsood
4) Umer Akmal
5) Umer Amin
6) Mohammed Hafeez
7) Abdul Razaq
8) Shahid Afaridi
9) Saeed Ajmal
10) Mohamed Irfan
11) Junaid Khan
12) Asad Shafeq **(Back up for Umer Amin or Sohaib Maqsood)**
13) Wahab Riaz **(back up for Mohamed Irfan or Junaid Khan)**
14) Umer Gul (back up for Mohamed Irfan and Junaid Khan)
I have also placed the batting order as well so there is no confusion.
I hope someone can pick this up and think about it... You have right and left opener, you have left hand pace attack, you have two of the best all rounder (Afridi, Hafeez and Abdul Razaq)
You have power hitting batsman (Umar Akmal, Shoaib and Umar Amin) Your batting line goes solid till

Solid_Snake
on November 10, 2013, 10:35 GMT

All Pak fans are asking to try etc etc Players.I also agree but one thing i just cannot understand.When i look at my current team,i believe that it can beat any team out there.But when it comes to the match,our batsmen surrender quickly & lose their wickets.What's the solution of this thing.Changing the players wont solve this issue.Young players would come,fail & then would disappear from the cricketing world..Then what's the solution..Change the captain or coach?This is so sad to say it but it's a fact that i don't want to watch the matches of our teamany more..I've had enough of this up & down performance again & again.

proteasfire
on November 9, 2013, 1:12 GMT

Congratulations SA !! A thorough all round performance and deservingly winning the series. Great innings by DeKock. The yougster proved his talent and is a great future for South Africa. Dale Steyn after a long time has shown in wicket taking abilities in ODIs. Excellent performance from world's best fast bowler! Fielding was spot on for South Africa and Morne Morkel's catch to dismiss Umar Akmal needs a special mention. He made a tough catch look so easy. AB will feel much relieved and happy and is a terrific comeback for SA after poor outing in Champions Trophy, SL tour etc. After a long time SA have won two matches consecutively. This eleven looks so good and they need to give them a fair run. Kudos SA and keep up the consistency to become a top notch team again!!

malepas
on November 8, 2013, 21:40 GMT

Well played SA, Pak lost but will rue handing the first match and not picking the right people for next 2 matches, refreshing to watch Sohaib a good one for future, hope Pak will stop bringing back Umer Amin again and again,,he is not ready yet,, I think De-Villiers made a huge impact in this match with his fielding and it will be right to say that SA won this match because of its fielding. I think Afridi is seriously hurting PAK with lack of his batting confidence at a very crucial position,,Team needs a "FIRING" big hitter not one hit and
10 miss kind of player,,I can't see Afridi getting anywhere with his batting against top class pace attacks as they know what to bowl at him.
Pak lower order is too shallow and weak in batting which makes Afridi position is more important.

Dravid_Pujara_Gravitas
on November 12, 2013, 15:49 GMT

I'm sure pakistan envy the world class batting resources of its classy neighbours and wish they had a piece of it. It's surprising what kind of batless wonders pakistan manages to manufacture without fail.

Linkagoal
on November 12, 2013, 8:53 GMT

Pak played well this time, better done the ones played before!!

Fast_Track_Bully
on November 11, 2013, 6:47 GMT

Just wonder what is the role of Afridi. With all these experience he should take responsibility and take team to victory. It is not wise to keep him as a 'slogger' in the team. Even no:10 and 11 are more matured than him.

team_india_no1
on November 11, 2013, 5:05 GMT

It seems like comments on this article will go on and on.
I feel only thing Pakistan has to do is pick batsman with good temperament. For example, if they need 65 off 50 balls say. They should bring it down to 30 off 18 balls (scoring run-a-ball with an odd boundary) if good bowlers are bowling instead of starting hitting out. They should rely on the batsman at the crease ending the match instead of new batsman so it does not even matter if the batting lineup is long or short. That is what Indian batsman do. And those who are against Misbah style of play ask the people not from Pakistan who they fear most in this batting line-up and i feel we fear Misbah the most (not Afridi or a Hafeez or a Jamshed).
Abdul Razzaq and Azhar Mehmood are the last of the genuine all-rounders Pakistan has produced, they were hitters but had excellent temperament.

OverDcovers
on November 10, 2013, 14:27 GMT

Well Done and Well Played SA! On the other hand Pakistani Management should wake up to the reallity that with Hafeez in the team only despair shall be their fate! He's a permanent failure with the bat now therefore, for GOD SAKE get rid of him permanently and blood in some new players like Awais Zia etc. Misbah should only play as a player as he completely lacks the capacity of aggression. Younis should always be part of the team and maybe a team player an a fighter like Afridi should be captain again-dont expect miracles from Afridi at No. 7 when he has almost run out of partners. Actually this is the fruit of the bad intent seed that Misbah and Hafeez (The 2 interiguers) sowed, by forcefully fixing Hafeez at #3 to discard Younus and put Afridi at #7 to keep him out of the lime light. Sathi Sb! Save Pakistani Cricket and shunt these guys out or remove them from captaincies respectively for ODIz and T20z!

Haz95
on November 10, 2013, 14:24 GMT

Last comment of mine.
We really need to get rid of Afridi now and bring back Razzaq. Hafeez is very good, whether you like him or not, but he needs to bat down the order to avoid players like morkel and steyn. Misbah is a brill batsman but a terrible captain, he really needs to give the role to someone else, he defo needs to stay @number 4 or 5. Akmal needs to bat up the order, that's where he himself says he does the best, also we need a better wicketkeeper too, ideally Sarfraz Ahmed. Nasir Jamshed needs to return, no more Umar amin, Sohail Tanvir or Wahab Riaz. We need new players now.
Playing XI
Shehzad,Jamshed/Sharjeel Khan,Akmal,Maqsood,Ul Haq,Hafeez,Razzaq/Hammad Azam, Shahid Afridi(for bowling), Saeed Ajmal,Junaid Khan, Mohd Irfan.
If these guys fail, don't hesitate to try different players.
Main thing is, Hafeez should be captain(he's captained T20i very well) and Coach Whatmore should be no more.
Pak, really is full of talent, but have nooo confidence at all.

aidrees
on November 10, 2013, 11:49 GMT

Here is what Pakistan needs to Play for the next 12 months without any changes:
1) Nasir Jamshed
2) Ahmed Shehzad
3) Sohaib Maqsood
4) Umer Akmal
5) Umer Amin
6) Mohammed Hafeez
7) Abdul Razaq
8) Shahid Afaridi
9) Saeed Ajmal
10) Mohamed Irfan
11) Junaid Khan
12) Asad Shafeq **(Back up for Umer Amin or Sohaib Maqsood)**
13) Wahab Riaz **(back up for Mohamed Irfan or Junaid Khan)**
14) Umer Gul (back up for Mohamed Irfan and Junaid Khan)
I have also placed the batting order as well so there is no confusion.
I hope someone can pick this up and think about it... You have right and left opener, you have left hand pace attack, you have two of the best all rounder (Afridi, Hafeez and Abdul Razaq)
You have power hitting batsman (Umar Akmal, Shoaib and Umar Amin) Your batting line goes solid till

Solid_Snake
on November 10, 2013, 10:35 GMT

All Pak fans are asking to try etc etc Players.I also agree but one thing i just cannot understand.When i look at my current team,i believe that it can beat any team out there.But when it comes to the match,our batsmen surrender quickly & lose their wickets.What's the solution of this thing.Changing the players wont solve this issue.Young players would come,fail & then would disappear from the cricketing world..Then what's the solution..Change the captain or coach?This is so sad to say it but it's a fact that i don't want to watch the matches of our teamany more..I've had enough of this up & down performance again & again.

on November 10, 2013, 9:46 GMT

they are nt been able to gv chance to good players or pick nd also pakistan is suffering by icc's approach against pakistan cricket.

Shazia_Javed
on November 10, 2013, 9:40 GMT

I don't have any cluse why the new players don't get a chance… anyone who is not performing, or anyone whose role is not clear in the team must be out of the team. It is confusing to find out the exact roles of the players like Hafeez, Afridi, Akmal and Tanveer… they are being tried as a 'hope' not as a 'plan'. If a new guy like Maqsood can perform so good, why not try such players rather than giving chances again and again to the 'experienced' players. Most of them can even bowl as well, better than Hafeez and Afridi and Tanveer… but this grouping, selfishness and leg-pulling will not let the youngsters come in the team. Hafeez was the culprit in running out Shehzad and he tried the same for Shoaib. It seem funny when a youngster is batting better than Hafeez OR Afridi the 'seniors' and when this youngster hits a good shot, these seniors always come to him and tap their shoulder or head and start saying something to them… showing their 'seniority'... continued

without ajmal this current pak will collapse around the world..... very poor thinking and technique by tail enders.... opneres cant hit century every time.... its them who has to grab the match in the end...... 3 wickets for 3 runs..... very very poor.....

pakfanfromnepal
on November 10, 2013, 4:58 GMT

For me, the problem with pakistan team is the captain..he doesnot rotates the strike and only either blocks blocks or hits hits. and other players are affected by this approach. In addition.. Hafeez must play at No 6 or 7 only because of his bowling otherwise he must be dropped as he cant play swinging balls. However, the positive of the series so far is, Ahmed Shehad and Sohib Maqsood because they played positively. I cant understand why sohib was not picked for earlier ODIs. And Bring in Nasir as well as he can give good start & he is technically very sound then Hafeez.

Where did we lose the game !! Ummm ... HAFEEZ the guy dropped a centurion on a2, played a real selfish innings, ran Shehzad out and almost ran out Maqsood for a duck. I just can not comrehend how this guy is batting at the top 3 its just ridiculous surely our think tank must know this guy has a real weak technique and should bat around 7. Shafiq should stick to test. People blasting Umar Akmal should look at the catch by Morkel it was a fantastic catch. I will continue to say Umar should bat at 4 but this think tank seem hell-bent on making him
a finisher. Team selection throughout the series has been a disgrace. We lost this series due to poor planning and selection. We need to get rid of WHATMORE the guy is sat on fat paycheck doing nothing.

Crick_Expert
on November 9, 2013, 23:15 GMT

Ahmed Shahzad and KING AFRIDI should be open pair.

PAK should groom Hafeez, Nasir J. and Sohaib Maqsood as middle order batsmen.

Please include Sarjeel Khan, Razzak in ODI/T2O squad.

Time has come to say BYE to Asad Safiq, Sohail Tanvir forever.

shahnbej
on November 9, 2013, 22:29 GMT

Very Heavy Anchor like Misbah sank the ship. I can bet if Virat and Rohit Sharma play under his captain ship they will also change from hero to zero like Pakistani batsman's. We don't need Misbah, Hafiz and Asad in ODI. Whenever Misbah on crease, other batsman has to take his burden which cause to lose their wickets.

t20cric
on November 9, 2013, 21:10 GMT

It's sad to see the team in this state. The early talks of Umar Akmal made him seem like he could be like Sohaib Maqsood. Umar Akmal did so well against WI although WI bowling is not as good as SA so that might be the reason. Umar Akmal often comes in when the run rate is very high and he just perishes trying to slog in order to keep up with the run rate. Wicket-keeping may also be affecting his batting. Pakistan should try him at no.4 in the 5th ODI and all ODIs in SA and if he doesn't improve then hand wicket-keeping gloves to Mohammad Rizwan and let Umar Akmal play as specialist batsmenat no.4 in SL series.

Pak lose again in chase and it was just a few months ago in SA's own backyard where we beat them twice when chasing. Hafeez needs to pull up his socks, his bowling is good but he needs to hold on to catches and last for 20-30 runs after 1st wicket goes down. Ahmed, Hafeez and Nasir must learn to comunicate to each other to avoid runouts. Sohaib had a great debut just needs to make sure not to attack every ball & not be satisfied with 50. Asad Shafiq is not looking good in odis he should rotate strike. Misbah played good but also needs to rotate strike and not attack best bowler. Umar Akmal needs to stay calm maybe should come at no.4 when required rr is not high. Afridi is a poor batsman who doesnt even connect with the ball. Tanvir is not an allrounder so he shouldnt come before Akmal or Afridi.
My XI: 1.Ahmed Shehzad, 2.Mohammad Hafeez, 3.Sohaib Maqsood, 4.Umar Akmal, 5.Asad Shafiq, 6.Misbah-ul-haq, 7.Shahid Afridi, 8.Sohail Tanvir, 9.Saed Ajmal, 10.Mohammad Irfan, 11.Junaid Khan.

Behind_the_Wicket
on November 9, 2013, 20:46 GMT

I personally don't like Hafeez but sometime I impress by his bowling & leadership in T20. Mostly people are witnessed after winning 1st T20 he changed half of the members in second match and gave chance to all players those sat on bench in last game but he won again. That called confidence and he proved it right. I think Pakistan should give chance to Imran Nazir & Sharjeel Khan after their knock in President's Cup One-Day Tournament 2013/14 , Sharjeel Khan scored 194 in 124 balls with 14 4s and 13 6s and in the other hand Imran Nazir Scored 189 with 26 4s and 9 6s. Selector should give chance when the palyer is inform.

Captain_Tuk_Tuk
on November 9, 2013, 20:37 GMT

@mzm149
I agree with you qualities of a leader are all we need, two option you mentioned for captaincy are best I personally favor Afridi but its worth mentioning Shoaib Malik's name. Though his place in ODI team is in doubt but if we need qualities of a leader he has it as in domestic circuit we can see how many times his team have won the tournament so we need all the help we can get to make the team a team again as your team is only as strong as its weak link and we should seriously quit the blame game and get to the root of the problem. Apart from that Misbah can play like he played in the last ODI team needs his batting skills but he should step down from captaincy himself and should leave with dignity.

t20cric
on November 9, 2013, 20:36 GMT

First of all congrats to Sohaib Maqsood I hope u perform good in the 5th odi to prove that this was not a one-off. In the last few months Pak have given debuts to players and most of them have justified it. Pakistan's chasing again the problem but most people are forgetting that our fielding is bad as well. In fact I would say that Pakistan's fielding may even be worse then their batting (only slightly). A big difference between the sides is the fielding. SA's slip fielder drops very few catches, Faf stops about 20 runs with his fielding, AB took catches of two crucial batsmen and ran out another one. On the other hand Pak's fielders drop catches, concede overthrows when trying to run out a batsman & when they see the ball fast approaching the boundary they just give up trying to stop it. The one day our fielding was good we defended 209 and restricted SA to a measly 143. Our fielding often makes our bowling look worse then it is. Good fielding can make good bowling like great bowling.

on November 9, 2013, 20:23 GMT

after 357 or so matches afridi still doesnt know how to bat wahab riaz is all over the pkace sohail tanvir not quick enough asad shafiq not good enough so pak seriously need to look at bringing in at least one if not two bowling allrounders like in the 99 WC razzaq and azhar played sohaib maqsood should get an extended run in the team as you can see he is international material babar azam and sami aslam should come in the team as we are famous for bringing in youngsters give them a go they cant perform worse then the current lot get a right arm faster in the team who the oppostins can fear hasan raza should come in the team as well get people who got knowledge of cricket to run the PCB if playets get picked on merit and performence then pak will start winning otherwise same results as against SA should be expected. its the 1st time i heared that when pak lise the toss they lose the match that is just village. Come on pak cornerd tigers you better then that

mzm149
on November 9, 2013, 19:24 GMT

@Solid_Snake: Believe me changing captain or coach will make hell lot of difference. Or I may say a psychologist or a counsellor will solve our batting woes. I have a feeling most of our batsmen are in state of mental blockage. They fear that if they don't perform in a game they will get dropped and will never find a way to playing XI again. Sometimes a little push or encouragement or some sort of positive feedback from leader is enough to get someone going. I doubt Misbah is not a motivator at all. Moreover he doesn't seem to encourage players to play their natural game freely. We can try someone new to captain Pakistan for a series or two and see the results. Hafeez has pretty much stabilized our t20 team and improved its ranking considerably. Afridi captained ODI team well in the past. Afridi or Hafeez can be tried for captaincy. I am not saying they will magically solve our problems. But may be they can. Well, there is only one way to find it out.

on November 9, 2013, 19:01 GMT

It is high time for PCB to realize that Misbah is a good batsman but not a good leader.
If u saw the record of Pakistan's batting u observe that aggregates batting average and strike rate fall critically since Misbah took over as captain.His weaknesses of leadership expose quite badly when u see that Misbah fail to find any solution of same problem which Pakistan batting lineup facing from numerous games.
It is true that Pakistan's batting lineup never been reliable but it was not worst as it is nowadays.

Captain_Tuk_Tuk
on November 9, 2013, 18:56 GMT

@Solid_Snake
I agree with you we need to change both captain and coach. Afridi would have been a better option in power play but Misbah sent Taveer who scored 1 run, Misbah ignored a talent like Shoaib Maqsood for Umar Amin who is another Imran Farhat. Afridi wants to bat up the order he was man of the match in only match we won and he can score quick runs and the reason he said he is a bowler is because he is sent down the order I read before this tour that he want to bat up the order but so far I can see he is not being trusted though we won 1 match in which he was man of the match because of his quick 26 runs and 3 wickets.

Most of the people want Abdul Razzaq back he has less wickets as well as less average than Afridi, I am sure you people will start criticizing him as well after a few days, but we need these senior players in the team as well as younger talent like Shoaib Maqsood. Cricinfo please publish.

Solid_Snake
on November 9, 2013, 18:39 GMT

All Pak fans are asking to try etc etc Players.I also agree but one thing i just cannot understand.When i look at my current team,i believe that it can beat any team out there.But when it comes to the match,our batsmen surrender quickly & lose their wickets.What's the solution of this thing.Changing the players wont solve this issue.Young players would come,fail & then would disappear from the cricketing world..Then what's the solution..Change the captain or coach?This is so sad to say it but it's a fact that i don't want to watch the matches of our teamany more..I've had enough of this up & down performance again & again.

bouncer709
on November 9, 2013, 18:35 GMT

@mamun ur roshid: Happy to see your team gave you few moments of joy, but come out of dreams, and don't forget your player weeping against Pakistan in home ground last time.

on November 9, 2013, 18:31 GMT

as aspected Pakistan team again fail to chase a moderate ODI score
it was always on the card when u see the attitude of Afridi & Hafeez with Misbah in the field.As a Senior team members they should showed better behavior with the skipper especially when the whole world was watching.I m afraid since the Moin khan took over as manager the dressing room environment is not as pleasant as it was before. T20 results might make pictures more clear .

roook
on November 9, 2013, 17:53 GMT

Afridi weakens Pakistan batting for time being Razzaq is batter option it gives a medium pace options. Two spinners are more than enough and afride will be useless in 2015 world cup where condition doesnot suits him we need a medium pacer

Captain_Tuk_Tuk
on November 9, 2013, 17:48 GMT

@roook
It would be better if we give credit to South Africa for there great team effort the fact is we are not playing as a team. South Africa can chase down 300+ I am sure of it but any team can make 300+ against there bowling attack? I doubt that :)

on November 9, 2013, 17:35 GMT

If Pakistan continue to play South Africa in bilateral series, soon SA will become number one in odi rankings too .

roook
on November 9, 2013, 17:16 GMT

A win is a win but still all the Matches in the series are win by team batting first. SA still have to proof they can chase big totals 260 was not a big total on that kind of pitch apart from Pakistan batting lineup. Apart from Pakistan are playing batsman short due to Afridi after 5 down we pray afride luck save the matchs.

Shoiab maqsood list A career averages above 51 and both umar amin and asad shafiq averages below 40. Misbah should have included him in Zimbabwe tour.Asad shafiq after playing 50 matches averages 26 he is not a ODI player get rid of him try nasir jamshad down the order at 4 down.

Sports4Youth
on November 9, 2013, 16:03 GMT

It is almost 2 years now that Abdul Razzaq was dumped. Still the selectors are tying to fit in Wahab Riaz or Sohail Tanvir in his shoes. They should realise those are pretty big shoes. They could have done better by selecting Hammad Azam. The choice of the Selectors baffles everyone. At this rate the performance of the hte Pakistani team will keep down if they keep selecting players who have not proven their credentials in the domestic competitions. the Numbers in the domestic competitions should be respected.

Sports4Youth
on November 9, 2013, 15:58 GMT

Posted by ICCexpert.... on (November 9, 2013, 14:39 GMT)

You nailed it. I absolutely agree with you. Just in the last game we saw Shaib Maqsood being given an opportuinty and boy didnt he grab it. even this boy has a List A average of above fity and he has shown why. Some how the selectors think that the first class and list A numbers should be just ignored. They think they know more. or they just want their boys in the team.

Behind_the_Wicket
on November 9, 2013, 15:55 GMT

Pakistan should bring new talent Sharjeel Khan , Sami Aslam , Babar Azam , Haris Sohail , Hammad Azam and Raza Hassan back in Cricket if they want team for WC 2015 and if they want just lost & lost then keep with Misbah.

Ahmedpakistan6
on November 9, 2013, 15:41 GMT

Well, Khurram S Chaudhry, I think you shouldn't say the slw run rate was Ahmed Shehzad's fault, I think it was Hafeez's fault as he was playing with a strike rate of 55 which is very slow for an opener in modren day cricket.

g.narsimha
on November 9, 2013, 15:32 GMT

mzm-149-u r response to albert pinto ko - is equally in bad stat-we majority of IND respect PAK team& its players infact u ryester years heroes are more popular in IND than in u r country - my self only respond when idiotic / demeaning coments are posted by few INDIA HATERS FROM U R SIDE,I personally believe PAK is a formidable force in spite of depriving home advantage u r team is doing well,at present there is no team with total domination ,the top 5- SA,IND, AUS, PAK & END-can beat each other on given day, i still cant understand why u r team is always fielding 6 bowlers where as 5 are enough ,yesterday i didnt miss a single ball of this match, watched from 4.30 to end of the game i am not making tall claims bt had it been our team, could have won with few overs to spare -as nuetral i feel SHAHID AFRIDI- should not be allowed to enter in the dressing room,forget playing him,he is negitive force, the way he asked for reviewe disregarding the captain,i never seen such thing .

Greatest_Game
on November 9, 2013, 15:19 GMT

@ Solid_Snake. Tahir has calmed down with his celebrations. His first international wickets he would run around the whole field about three times, jumping up & down. He is a very excitable and emotional guy. He is also incredibly well liked & respected by his club & franchise team mates, and is well known to be extremely polite & respectful.

He is also a damn good bowler, with a very good 1st class & list A record. His ODI ave is now 14.21, SR 20.2. Even his test ave is down to 42 after the slaughtering he got in Australia.

He's an unusual guy, but a great team player. The respect he has, he has earned. Every bit of it. He is not taunting Pakistan, he is just being Imran.

Haz95
on November 9, 2013, 15:10 GMT

Interesting comments in this section, lemme get a few things straight.
1. Bangladesh will never be better than Pak, I respect them because of their confidence which made them beat NZ. But its absurd people are saying Ban better.
2.Mohd Shami is nothing compared to Dayle Steyn, Dayle Steyn is an all time great, among akram, younis, lillee etc.
3.Misbah and Hafeez are good respectively, but Misbah is not captain material, hafeez is a number 5 batsman.
4.People are saying Raza Hasan over Saeed Ajmal. Are you flippin insane?

wat can misbah do with this pathetic batting line up ??as a captain he utmost gives his best.if misbah wasnt there in this team then pak would ave been wrapped up below hundred most of the times.anyways pity misbah.

Shazy777
on November 9, 2013, 14:41 GMT

Quinton De Kock shows pontential.... now the time come he should be included in test squad instead of Thami Tsolekile...

ICCexpert....
on November 9, 2013, 14:39 GMT

Sharjeel Khan is the best opener in Pakistan right now with an List A average of 50 and strike rate of more than 100, thats amazing. He is not in the team but Umar Amin and Asad Shafiq with an avsergae of 30 in List A are in the team. This is Pakistan selectors...worthless

Pakistan are a woeful ODI side because they do not do the simple things right. Running between wickets, taking singles, cutting singles inside the circle, taking catches and run out chances -- these are basics of the game which even Zimbabwe do but Pakistan have shown utter disregard for these aspects. The only way they will win is when one of their talented bowlers has a really good game. This is not a good approach at all.

CricketChat
on November 9, 2013, 13:16 GMT

I always believed Umar Akmal should play in all formats when fit. After watching this ODI series, I have changed my mind. Though undoubtedly talented, he hasn't overcome nerves playing in tight situations. His shot selection is also very poor. Both these weaknesses continue to be his down fall time and again. Another glaring draw back, the contributions from the lower order are next to nothing. 90% of the total is scored by top 5 only, rest are walking wkts. Don't need to say much about fielding either. Is this all coaches' fault or Pak players just don't have the desire and discipline to improve further?

on November 9, 2013, 13:12 GMT

guys its not any 1 s fault all alone. afridi or misbah, hafeez or ahmed or umar akmal or asad they all are responsible at some point. hafeez and ahmed took lot of balls but didnt push on, asad fell for 1 only, maqsood played well but trying to do it every ball costs him. umar akmal easily gets under pressure if he plays few dot balls. misbah played wrong shot and more importantly wrong bowler picked. 41 off 30 with 6 wickets is acheiveable but not to these guys. all are equally responaible really. some more some less but you cant say that it was only 1 guy's fault and rest were good.

the problem is that they dont take reaponsibility. for all 20-30 is enough. they think next guy coming will get it and their job done.

ICCexpert....
on November 9, 2013, 12:36 GMT

My team for South Africa Tour : Sharjeel Khan, Ahmad Shahzad, Harris Sohail, Yunis Khan (c), Sohaib Maqsood, Umar Akmal (wk), Hammad Azam, Raza Hasan, Junaid Khan, M. Talha and M. Irfan
In this team we have 3 excellent pace bowlers(Irfan, Talha and Junaid)
we have one alrounder (Hammad)
We have one excellent spinner ( Raza)
Two art time spinners (Sohaib and Sharjeel)
Select this aggressive team and Pak will be unbeatable

Stark62
on November 9, 2013, 12:29 GMT

@ malepas No, you are wrong!! It is vital for one of your top 5 to be there till the end and if they cannot do that, then they shouldn't be batting within that position.

36 off 18 can be easily done by Afridi but the way Ajmal, Irfan and Junaid bat, they would have been steam rolled in successive deliveries, hence there was nothing else he could do.

Tell me, what did Hafeez do or even Shafiq after so many chances? 15-20 runs from Shafiq would have helped immensely and a better strike rate from Hafeez would have been a great leverage in reaching that total.

Lastly, he is the highest wicket taker for Pak along with Ajmal and Irfan.

Zahidsaltin
on November 9, 2013, 12:08 GMT

Pakistan's sufferings will go on until the day when they analyze their approach to chasing. Just take any chase since the wc and you will find that our batsmen make a modest asking rate to climb all the way to 9 and 10 and then they expect the 6th and the 7th batsmen to score at 10 per over to win the match. They plan to save wickets and let the asking rate climb but they never succeed to save wickets and are thus left with lot to do in the end overs with not enough wickets. Pakistan management is not ready to change their strategies. They aren't even ready to try Hafeez at no. 6.

PS Pakistan needs to give stick with Nasir Jamshed give him a good run he is only going through a lean patch. They need to get rid of Wahab/Amin/Afridi. They need to consider selecting the following players in the following order,

1. Ahmed Shezad 2. Umar Akmal 3. S Maqsood 4. Younis Khan 5. Misbah 6. Nasir Jamshed 7. hafeez 8. Abdur Rehman/Abdul Razaq/Hammad Azam 9. Saeed Ajmal/Hasan Raza 10. Junaid 11. Irfan (Gul as 12th Man). They have a good balanced side 7 batmans and 5 bowlers. They need to give Umar Akmal a chance to prove his talent at the top of the order and need to turn to Hafeez and believe in his bowling abilities. On Paper this side is capable of challenging any side alittle bit better then the current one. Also they need to adopt a rotation policy to keep the players keen. Misbah your doing great you will turn it around making Pakistan a world class team again. hafeez has to take a leaf out of Guls book about doing whats best for the team i.e. 1 of the bst death bowlrs

mzm149
on November 9, 2013, 11:22 GMT

AlbertPintoGussaHua: The team which lost to Bangladesh last time they played against them was India. I think India v Bangladesh will be more competitive.

on November 9, 2013, 11:18 GMT

bouncer709: i was asking opinion of others on it with question mark. 36 off 18 is too much to ask?

aztecs
on November 9, 2013, 11:17 GMT

I would like to point out to all the Indian fans the last time this poor pakistan batting toured India they won n India didnt they! Didnt Junaid destroy the so called Indian side? Or am i Wrong? Indian in my opinion are no more talented then Pakistan, the difference is they play with confidence and pride.

Its clear that the talent in pakistan is there, they need to play for their country not their employer. AB De Villers in his presentation said "i hope i can win another one for South Africa". Its quite simple the players need to realise that by not doing so they are hurting the nations pride and joy. They need to discover the fighting spirit that Javed and Imran possessed. Its unfortunate the selectors of the 80's and 90's are gone but Misbah really needs to take a chance of trying out the group of players given to him. He cant allow people like Afridi and Hafeez influence his selection decisions. Its high time that Afridi needs to go along with Sohail/Wahab/Amin. Come on boys.

Solid_Snake
on November 9, 2013, 11:01 GMT

@Rajesh.Kumar:Never won a test match in SA?Lol..Where do you get these stats from?Now people come to forums & blindly write whatever they want without having any clue what they are saying.Go & search the records again..

Solid_Snake
on November 9, 2013, 10:51 GMT

@Mamun ur Rashid:1986-2013..Just 1 win against Pakistan..lol
Yeah sure Bandgladesh is better than Pakistan just because Pak lost to some other Contry..Great Logic...Bravo..
Btw do you remember the Asia Cup final 2012?I still remember the tears of BD team players & the whole nation when BD was defeated.I hope my post gets published..Best responce for you

AlbertPintoGussaHua
on November 9, 2013, 10:19 GMT

Time for a BD-PAK series to settle the debate about who is better now... Not historically but right now, in Nov 2013. It should be a good 5 or 7 match series to make it interesting.

vinodkd99
on November 9, 2013, 10:18 GMT

@Soorya_89: Indian fielding..... Quite amazing. Indian fielding has certainly improved, but cannot be compared to the best in the world. In recently concluded series against Aussies, Indians kept on dropping catches. In one of the ODIs that was finally "No Result" due to rain in which Aussies scored 295 was due to India dropping 6 catches. Even in the 1st test match against Windies, India dropped 3 catches.Do you call it world's best.

richie03_00
on November 9, 2013, 10:10 GMT

First of all, Pakistani batsmen should play their natural game. It seems that they have started to bat only to save their wickets. It is a direct reflection of their captains batting style. Misbah is a good player but plays very slowly and lets the run rate to climb. This puts additional pressure on the batsmen coming after he gets out and they crumble like a pack of cards under this immense pressure.

ICCexpert....
on November 9, 2013, 10:03 GMT

My team for South Africa Tour : Sharjeel Khan, Ahmad Shahzad, Harris Sohail, Yunis Khan (c), Sohaib Maqsood, Umar Akmal (wk), Hammad Azam, Raza Hasan, Junaid Khan, M. Talha and M. Irfan
In this team we have 3 excellent pace bowlers(Irfan, Talha and Junaid)
we have one alrounder (Hammad)
We have one excellent spinner ( Raza)
Two art time spinners (Sohaib and Sharjeel)
Select this aggressive team and Pak will be unbeatable

on November 9, 2013, 9:55 GMT

Well it's all in cricket , more than team effort individuals commitment is missing in Pakistan team also like IPL, BPL and SPL Pakistan should conduct PPL in other country and rate the players, then the players commitment will improve

SandipManjrekar
on November 9, 2013, 9:54 GMT

Dear Greatest_Game ....on your comment ....November 9, 2013, 3:38 GMT

I had watched every ball of those matches. It is easy to post opinion from the US sitting on the internet with making self designed, totally biased & imaginary analysis by using espncricinfo db engine. It was Pakistan who offered charity in UAE after winning first Test comprehensively. Forget about Indians but just look at new talents from BD who showed entire world what kind of fearless approach one should have. 41 runs required from 30 balls & Pak had literally given up. Any team could have achieved it but not Pakistan. Don't know why. Even most Proteas didn't enjoy such courtesy win due to generosity by Pak batsmen. Champions are hunting the target as they are not dependent on others for any mercy. Yeah, one has to grab the opportunities. AB & co. did it wonderfully so enjoy the moment, my dear friend!!

But that wasn't devastating. It was pretty ordinary.

Rajesh.Kumar
on November 9, 2013, 9:39 GMT

Soorya_89, jokes aside, but even with its 'bad bowling', Indian team is #1 in ODIs right now. Didn't we, with our 'bad bowlers', win the Champions Trophy played in England, and that too on flat tracks as some are saying. Flat tracks are bowler's nightmares, but our so-called 'bad bowlers' bowled out this Pakistan team in less than 40 overs for 170 odd runs. I love my 'bad bowlers', and would not have any other bowlers...

Ghazanfarr
on November 9, 2013, 9:27 GMT

Aslamoualikum, ourr cricketers should be strong by mental for chasing a score. no one has accepted responsibility for standing on wicket except Sohaib Maqsood and Misbah Ul Haq. i dont know, how many time alone Misbah is standing on wicket. remaining 10 players have no felt their responsibility. If Misbah is also not take responsibility then Pakistani Team would OUT less than 100 scores. than we should not blame to Misbah for slow scoring. Anyone ask to other batsmans about their responsibilities. we should throw out of team all Irresponsible players. we have much talent like Sohaib. only this talent has not given chance. if chance is given, they can prove their abilities.

Rajesh.Kumar
on November 9, 2013, 9:24 GMT

I agree with people who say that Bangladesh team is much better than the Pakistan team. Anyone can see that this is true, the way BD played NZ and the way Pak are playing RSA, both in their own backyards. This is what happens when you have a bunch of players with zero skills...

on November 9, 2013, 9:11 GMT

@ mamun ur roshid, I have respect towards bangladesh's improvement in international cricket. but thinking Bangladesh is better than Pakistan is living in a dream world.

on November 9, 2013, 9:10 GMT

Why did sohail tanvir bat before u akmal in the power play he only scored 1. pak team is not attacking enough the natural game of nasir shazad and u akmal is to play strokes and yet they asking nasir to play slowly in first match he departed after scoring 1 off 15. The only positive from this tour is Sohaib maqsood who should be given an extended run in the team this guy should play the 2015 wc as he could be the new Inzi. Asad shafiq umar amin shahid afridi wahab riaz sohail tanvir should be dropped as if you cant perform in home like conditions how are you going to perform abroad? bring in hasan raza hammad azam babar azam sami aslam etc or like sohaib maqsood who for the last few years has performed on the domestic circut bring in players who deserve a chance in the national team. bring in young people ie people who have played cricket in the last 30 years in to pcb who understand cricket better then the current people who have only played 1 or 2 tests for pak.

soorya_89
on November 9, 2013, 9:07 GMT

I think I have found the right equations for worlds BEST possible team and WORST possible ODI cricket teams right now!!

@ Mamun Ur Roshid: You are right. Bangladesh's amazing record against Pakistan of 1 win out of 31 ODIs, 8 tests and 6 t20s says it all. Keep living in dream world.

TexanBlue
on November 9, 2013, 8:26 GMT

It will be interesting to see how the selectors pick the team for the RSA tour. I'm quite confident that some of the people posting their comments here can choose a better team than our brainless selectors. A simple follower of the game has more sense than those morons who keep on picking the rubbish players, those who put talented players at wrong batting orders only to ruin their careers, and those who keep on making the same excuse one defeat after another and yet cling to their job rather than making way for someone else to try and bring energy, passion, and positivity in team. Based on the last RSA tour and the current series, I don't see any role for Afridi in the next series. His bowling will not be needed there and he doesn't deserve a place on batting. Razzaq will be a straight swap for him. Hafeez will be needed because of his bowling. Relieve U.Akmal from keeping duties and play a regular keeper. Akmal will thrive as a pure batsman. Bring Younus back and drop Amin & Shafiq.

on November 9, 2013, 8:08 GMT

now bangladesh is better than pakistan.

bouncer709
on November 9, 2013, 8:06 GMT

The whole problem is with captains, time to get rid of Misbah and Hafeez. Sorry to Misbah lovers, but very soon Misbah will retire, and you will see the same team will come on winning track. Like it performed in 2011wc. Misbah was supporting Umer Amin instead of Sohaib Maqsood, now he should accept he was supporting wrong player, and also should stop supporting Hafeez as an opener or one down. and hope there will be new captain who trust Umer Akmal to bat at no.4.

ihaq1
on November 9, 2013, 7:58 GMT

although the top order performed pakistan lost it when umar akmal and afridi did not fire...misbah should have implored sohaib not to try another shot over mid on...however one saw for teh first time a top order pakistani perform aggressively in one dayers...it has usually been left to afridi and razzak to attack in teh middle order while the top order plays sedately...asad shafik is obviously not cut out for teh shorter formats ...pakistan should be looking for a few more dependable middle order players...they could try making afridi practice his batting a bit more...however sohaib taking on imran tahir was a delight to watch...south africa as is usual depended on teh brilliant amla and steyn and sonme good catching...de kock could turn out tobe a very good player although he did give two very easy chances

on November 9, 2013, 7:57 GMT

now why did it take so long for him to be selected into the team when the rest of the fast bowling is clearly not performing except Bhuvaneshkumar

Solid_Snake
on November 9, 2013, 7:55 GMT

Btw what's up with Imran Tahir..Every time he Takes a wicket against Pakistan batsmen,he start celebrating as if he has won the World Cup for his Country.It's clear that he is mocking Pakistan & their system.If he was a no good bowler here in Pakistan,then whose fault it is lol..In the 4th ODI,Pak batsmen accepted this challenge & went for Tahir.Maqsood & other Pak bastmen butchered him.

Jda123
on November 9, 2013, 7:50 GMT

Afridi is typical - Twice this year he has gone up for a review not thinking for the team, he has been doing nothing at the position he is in right now and should move up the order 3/4

Shafiq like I have said in the past many time, he isn't an ODI player, at this rate Younis/Malik should be back in the team.

Shezad has been playing very well though, Hafeez is the same as always, Misbah is a must because without him Pakistan would be a joke.

Rajesh.Kumar
on November 9, 2013, 7:47 GMT

I feel that Pak team is very ordinary. Well expecting any good performance from it is out of order, because it has never even won a test match in South Africa.

DINESHCC
on November 9, 2013, 7:41 GMT

93 runs were needed in 14 overs with 6 wickets in hand. Power play was taken. In the commentary box someone added next one is Akmal and Afridi. Pakistan is on its way to level the series. But the game was lost. What is the need in sending Tanvir before Akmal and Afridi?.

binu.emiliya
on November 9, 2013, 7:39 GMT

India got a pace bowler In Shammy and Pakistan got a gutsy good Batsman in Shoib Maqsooe , seeing his style i remember Basit Ali

DINESHCC
on November 9, 2013, 7:37 GMT

Pakistan fans should learn two things. 1) If a young player or a debutant perform well don't compare him with Javed Miandad, Inzamam or any other players. Let them play their natural game. In this forum some one compared Maqsood with Inzamam and Miandad. 2) Afridi is no more a match winner. Now he is neither an allrounder nor a spinner or a front line batsman. 1st ODI was lost only because of Afridi's reckless shot. When Hafeez and Ajmal are doing will what is the need of a 3rd spinner. In his place a batsman can play.

bouncer709
on November 9, 2013, 7:29 GMT

@Khurram S Chaudhry: Well to me there is difference if you put same sentence with a question mark at the end. "36 off 18 too much to ask from afridi?" and "36 off 18 too much to ask from afridi".

mzm149
on November 9, 2013, 7:24 GMT

It is very difficult to win upcoming ODI series anyway in South Africa for Pakistan. Why don't we try something new.

1. We can try Hafeez as a captain. This change might bring positive changes. Hafeez has already proved himself as a good t20 captain.

Pakistanis need to think very seriously about their team's future.I dont think any team will play as bad as they are playing now.Its time to bring new bloods into the team.I am really impressed by the new comer Maqsood. He is really talented guy and needs to be taken care of seriously.Pakistan needs to give chance new boys like Maqsoon keeping in mind the 2015 world cup.One guy i personally think ,should be brought into the team is,Babar Azam.I saw him playing.He could be a good finding. I don't think Shafiq is capable of playing in ODI's.He should be kept for Test matches only.In yesterdays match,the main blunder was Hafiz's drop catch.We are really sick of seeing all these mistakes again and again. I am Indian,but i want pakistan to play better cricket.I hope selectors will look into all these matters.

on November 9, 2013, 7:03 GMT

@ @bouncer709: mate i didnt expect him to chase it. even if its 36 off 36. on his current batting form i dont expect him to do it or even if he has some 1 else than ajmal on other hand. those days of afridi are gone. the sooner we accept that he is a better bowler than batsman the better. where did i say that he would have chased it? i asked that from others in a earlier comment that is it too much to ask?

shaz101
on November 9, 2013, 6:59 GMT

Another disappointing and pathetic display by Pakistan. Like first game they were in control with two set batsman in Misbha and Umar with 40 of 30 balls. Why would u panic even they had couple if quite over because they play so many T20 and 8 an over is more than gettable. So comments made by Pakistan supporters comparing Pakistani players with Indian... Please the talent is not the difference the attitude and caring factor is what makes the Indian players make win every game. They play for each other and for the country they represent. It's disappointing to see that in Pakistan these players look for backstabbing each other. Afridi should be sacked immediately for showing disrespect to his captain and taking the review.

AdnanAfridi
on November 9, 2013, 6:55 GMT

In ODIs, we cant improve unless Misbah is removed..he doesnt know how to win matches for the team, we dont need his individual scores if he cant win matches for the country...secondly these selectors shud come out of their mind set and bring in new pple..Umer Amin, Riaz, Shahid Afridi, Asad Shafiq, Sohail tanveer shud never be selected again...Bring in players like Sadaf Hussain, khurram manzoor..A bowler shud be made a captain (Ajmal) is the only choice at the moment for next 3 years..and hope we find a replacement during that time...

bouncer709
on November 9, 2013, 6:53 GMT

@ Mohammed Ishtiaq: So did Misbah won the match yesterday? First as a captain he made a poor move sending tanveer ahead of Umer Akaml, he wasted 5 balls in power-play, and even could not take single, then threw wicket. and at the end, Misbah did, what he always do, go out with useless 50. Play until 47 over, make the run rate to go high and high and they play a slog shot to save your face, and leave dirty work for Afridi. and why people blame Afridi and umer Akmal... if you don't trust these players and send them to bat on no 7 and no.8, then you should not expect much from them. this team is hijaked by Hafeez and Misbah one is stick to opening position , wasted 30 balls in this game and Misbah is fully supporting him on opening position despite his failure time and again, If they want to win they should send Afridi to open and Umer Akmal to bat 2 down.

on November 9, 2013, 6:48 GMT

@captail tuk tuk: i admire your loyalty towards afridi which you showed by resducing no of balls. even if he had come up with 36 off 36 he would not have made it. does he looked like connecting anything to you? 1 st game is great example.
i am not misbahs fan . alwys said he is slow. my comment is in response to some comment made by some1 . you cant put it all on 1 guy. hafeez and ahmed were equly responsible and umar akmal as well. just because we dont like 1 person does not mean that everything is his fault and rest are playing well.

ICCexpert....
on November 9, 2013, 6:22 GMT

Sohaib Maqsood showed Pak has talent, but you need to have an eye to catch it, Dont understand Pakistan selecting old guns like Mallik and Razzaq again, when there are already old useless people like Hafeez and Afridi in the side. Maqsood has a list A average of more than 50, so has Sharjeel Khan and Harris Sohail, why arent they selected. Why select players like Hafeez, Afridi and Malik whose domestic avg is 30 ???

Rohit...
on November 9, 2013, 6:10 GMT

The Match was in Pakistan grasp till the 45th over until Morkel entered the scenerio... The 46th over saw Akmal talented batting scoring 0,0,0,0,1(Almost Run -out)... What happened next was RRR about 10 and Steyn changing the game in the blink of an eye... Steyn was rightfully adjudged the MoM... But what about Morkel??? Nobody cares about the Real Hero who created that pressure for Steyn to thrive on it...To make Misbah feel the pressure is a tremendous job and Morkel should be mentioned for his contribution in this win.

cricktwins
on November 9, 2013, 6:07 GMT

Once again pakistan snatched defeat from the jaws of victory..They should have comfortably won the 1st Odi, 4th odi and must be sitting pretty on 3-1 scoreline.. Poor pakistan sorry for them. In T20 era 60 balls-72 runs or 30 balls-41 runs is very chaseable with 5 wickets in hand.. similarly in 1st odi 10 runs were required in over 30 balls with 4 wickets in hand, only pakistan could mess up this chase.. so problem not only with the quality of the players but also with approach of the players towards target while chasing..

on November 9, 2013, 5:44 GMT

@black bird. I think you neither know how good Steyn or any history about cricket. people like you and blade runner are shame to true fans

Greatest_Game
on November 9, 2013, 5:41 GMT

@ 2nd Slip & Surly. This ODI team was born on the 08/09 Aus tour, Smith, Amla, Kallis, Duminy, de Villiers, Steyn & Morkel all together. From 16 Jan 2009 to 25 March 2011, (World Cup exit & Smith's last as skipper,) SA's ODI team won 31, lost 15, W/L ratio 2.06

Next game, 19 October 2011, Kirsten was coach, AB skipper, & Faf, Lopsy & Miller were in. It began the mysterious disappearance of JH Kallis. After 314 ODIs, he played just 7 more, the last on 29 Feb, 2012. In those 7 he averaged 41.57, took 6 wickets, ave 28.5, & SA won 5 of 7 - W/L 3.5.

Kirsten killed SA's ODI team. He "rested" the cornerstone - the greatest all-rounder since Sobers. With AB, a clueless skipper, they "experimented" the team to death. In ODIs, Gary built NOTHING. The stats don't lie!

cricktwins
on November 9, 2013, 5:38 GMT

@blackbird Dale steyn is true genius.. no comparison, shami just played his first test.. dont ridicule yourselves.. if shami could acheive half of steyn's performance, it would do many good for a country like india..

Solid_Snake
on November 9, 2013, 5:26 GMT

@black_bird:Lol another whitewash..How many times has India White washed SA in SA?or how many timeshas India won series in SA?Dont know what world are you living in.Series has not even started & such high talk.Shami is batter than Steyn lol..Once upon a time Ishant sharma was the best after one Spell in Aus..& once upon a time Irfan Pathan was said to be another Wasim Akram..

missionbegins2011
on November 9, 2013, 5:17 GMT

Steyn is the best bowler in the world...hands down !! PAK had a dismal record against SA and it has worsened with this series

on November 9, 2013, 5:17 GMT

@black_bird. it s ridiculous people like you who make the rest of us Indian fans look bad. Shami had one good match. Steyn is a modern great. calm down.

black_bird
on November 9, 2013, 4:48 GMT

I think steyn is too much overrated. just wait, shami ahmed is going to break all kind of previous record. he will vanish saf batsman by his pace and swing at upcoming test series between india and saffers. ashwin is becoming the #q all rounder at test arena. it is time for india. ready for another whitewash saffers.

on November 9, 2013, 4:07 GMT

As a cricket fan, I feel sorry for pakistan team. it doesn't matter how much misbah scores as long as he can't win matches. their bowling is a cut above world class. but present crop of senior players play for their position and not for the team. as an Indian,I used to get jealous in 1990s and early 2000s thinking of how to win matches against Pakistan. this is a country who had saeed Anwar, inzamam, yousuf, miandad . they had a crop of effective match winners like ijaz, Malik, aamir sohail etc. as most Pakistan fans expressed their views it is time to change captain and team or it will be too late. all rounder spot is vacant from the time razzak is squeeze out of the team.

Crick_Expert
on November 9, 2013, 3:52 GMT

What a wonderful batting from MAQSOOD and De Kock. PAK lost this ODI But found a great batsman MAQSOOD!! He is a man who can become batting stone like Javed Miandad or Inzmam
PAK permanent ODI team should be as;
1)Ahmed Shahzad 2)Hafeez 3)Nasir Jamshed 4)Sohaib Maqsood 5) Misbah 6) Sarjeel Khan 7) Razzak 8)AFRIDI 9) Ajmal 9)Junaid 11)Irfan

Greatest_Game
on November 9, 2013, 3:38 GMT

@ Sandip Manjrekar. Those SA bowlers, whom you called an "overhyped attack" & the "so called most devastating attack" actually did devastate the Pak batting when it mattered - at the death. Pak were in a great position when Steyn was brought back on for over 37, & took 1wicket for 1 run. In over 39 he took 1 wicket for 5 runs. Then, with Pak needing 39 from 24, Steyn came back into the attack again, & in over 47 took 3 wickets for 3 runs. Three overs, 5 wickets for 9 runs - that is devastating.

In the 1st ODI,, when Pak had it sewn up, in the bag, and then went from 5 for 165 to 10 for 182, losing 5 wickets for 17 runs, & the match by 1 run - that was devastating too!

SA's ODI attack has not been hyped at all - for over 2 years they have been mediocre. It's the test attack the press have hyped, the attack that took out Australia, New Zealand & Pakistan for under 50 runs.

Oh how the pakistani supporters minds change! Not a day after the 1st Test they were praising Misbah, the middle order and the consistency of the bowling.. I knew it was just a matter of time before SA found form! This is what great sides do. As for Pakistan, they haven't been a consistant top tier team in literally decades! So stop whining like this isnt common! I can't remember the last time you won a test series in the SA/Eng/Aus/India backyard! Well played de Kock his role in the test squad in future years will be final with exit of Jacques Kallis

SHER-A-PANJAB
on November 9, 2013, 3:15 GMT

Good ,it is united effort to win series ,but D.KOCK showed his talent ,he proved ,smith'days are over.But little long tail is a worry for SA because middle order need another batsman like ELGAAR,MORIS ,PARNELL , (batting Support ).....FAF and AB , DUMINY are good fielding tigers.....so more gloves for AB........good luck....

team_india_no1
on November 9, 2013, 3:01 GMT

Misbah-ul-haq should extend his name to Misbah-ul-haq-in-crisis. I don't understand why Pakistan need Afridi when they have this huge crop of good spinners and fast bowlers. He does nothing with the bat so pick a genuine batsman instead or another bowler who can bat a bit and show maturity. South Africa keeps finding this new batsman with promise but they seem to soon fade away like Rudolph, Prince, etc and we have to keep watching those old players like Amla, Kallis, etc for ever.

on November 9, 2013, 2:53 GMT

the combination of misbah and whatmore has caused more grief to Pakistan cricket.they just cannot handle the resources available. to be really honest how can misbah be still captaining the side after so many failures and he is already 41.I think its high time Pakistan should take a very bold and strong decisions and make some young player captain just like SA made smith few years ago. the only guy I see right now is jamshed!

SandipManjrekar
on November 9, 2013, 2:40 GMT

Lack of approach, fielding lapses & unplanned batting cost Team Pak entire ODI series. Pak had strong grip of every game throughout the series which they allowed Proteas to take full control of it. Difference between the two teams was so marginal that these drawbacks of Pak were seen distinctly. There was no planning at in particularly batting department on whom they should attack of the SA bowlers.on other hand Proteas had plan A,B.C & executed well if one of the them failed. They used Faf/Duminy very well to counter Ajmal. Pak batsmen didn't think about Tahir. The entire batting depends on individuals with lack of communication in between them on how to transfer batting weight in achieving target. I found strange of Pak policy undermining the batting capability of Afridi which they could use in patches. But credit should be given to Proteas who accepted this charity given by Pak with both hands to register emphatic series win.

So well done AB!! You have done it in style.

loke_cricfan
on November 9, 2013, 2:31 GMT

I think its time for Pakistan to hire a batting coach from India and India to hire a bowling coach from Pakistan....

on November 9, 2013, 0:57 GMT

I have just one question from PCB, after how many losses you are gonna learn the lesson and take action? why same thing keeps happening repeatedly and no suitable action is being taken? when u guys are gonna realize the gravity of the situation? why you guys are making a joke of pakistan cricket? the whole nation keeps showing its frustration after each match but its totally being ignored and un-noticed. people are losing interest in the game due to this kind of pathetic display by pak team again and again. i think not only the team but whole management needs a replacement. only then we will be able to see changes in team's performance. otherwise no one can save this ship from sinking....

Square-Driver15
on November 9, 2013, 0:36 GMT

"I am seriously concerned for the future of Pakistan Cricket"- W. Younis, a few days before this series. World Cup 2015 is getting closer and closer after every series defeat, and with only a year and a half to go, Pakistan need to solve A LOT of problems if they want to avoid a ChampionsTrophy 13 repeat. This entire series has shown that a big overhaul is needed in the team, which is only possible if the management corruption is taken care of once and for all by the Court. This means no more reintroductions of Afridi,TANVIR, and RIAZ and consistent failures. I could keep going about problems seen in this series, such as poor fielding, no reshuffling of the batting order by the captain, when umar akmal already has said that he performs best at the top, and hafeez isn't performing.. team pakistan has seriously deteriorated, but if these problems (and more) are somehow solved by this same time next year, with dedication and proper management, pakistan can come back as the cornered tigers

Robster1
on November 9, 2013, 0:29 GMT

Wonder if Moonda still thinks that the middle thirties aged Tsolekile should instead be the next SA batsman/keeper...

SpartaArmy
on November 8, 2013, 23:27 GMT

Some one like MSD would have closed this game for PAK.

fast_gun
on November 8, 2013, 23:18 GMT

WELL DONE BOYS! Very proud of the result, Very well played Steyn and De Kock. Pakistan has good bowlers, I like Irfan although he had an ordinary day with the ball.

Zahidsaltin
on November 8, 2013, 22:30 GMT

Pakistan batting has a lot of problems but one which never even let them chase a mediocre score is the fact that from the word go they make the asking rate climb all the way until it gets impossible in the later overs to meet the demand. Umar Akmal and Afridi are not allowed to play in a situation where the earlier batsmen hasn't put an undue pressure on their game. Take any match in the last 3 years and you will find the same pattern. They plan to keep wickets to counter the rising asking rate but it all goes other way around.

ProdigyA
on November 8, 2013, 22:16 GMT

This is where Dhoni is a class apart. I remember in the final against SL in WI earlier this year, India were 9 down and had to get 18 runs from last 2 overs. He played out the entire 49th over and just took a single on the last ball from Malinga. Later in the last over bowled by an inexperienced SL bowler, he smashed him for 17 runs in just 4 balls. In the presentation Dhoni said he did not want to take chances against Malinga and knew that the last over will be coming from an inexperienced guy and that he could take him on and so he did.

It's about taking calculated risks and knowing whom to attack. Pak wasted 2 overs before the Steyn over and the pressure was too much by then. The new guy Maqsood looked good, that a positive for Pak to take.

on November 8, 2013, 22:10 GMT

hello khurram.....if afridi can't do it he shud not be included in the team..the reason he is there is for his big hits!!!!!!!!!!!. irrespective of were he is batting...lets not talk about his sense of judging the situation. ....

This is ideal squad as Azhar has still at least 1 years of cricket left in him and A Razaq can be useful as well

StatisticsRocks
on November 8, 2013, 21:59 GMT

Why is Afridi still in the team. Seriously. Also not having played international cricket is hurting PAK. The team has no confidence in batting department.

on November 8, 2013, 21:56 GMT

Pakistan need to rope in the great Imran Khan (despite his political commitments) even in a limited capacity as consultant of they are to reap the maximum benefits of their awesome talent pool. I think the time has come to look beyond Misbah and Afridi... but then, who'll Bell the cat:)))

TommytuckerSaffa
on November 8, 2013, 21:23 GMT

I don't know the solution to Pakistans problems. I just don't know anymore.

azurecharms
on November 8, 2013, 21:21 GMT

All Pakistanis including me were under the illusion that Pakistan is still the same competitive team as it was with Inzi, Yusuf, Waseem and Waqar. Reality should catch up now! We are not. We could be 6th amongst top six teams but difference is huge! There is no easy fix. Pakistan system has not produced any world class batsman in the last ten years. Umar Akmal looked one, but he is finished! Pakistan cricket has no chance unless there is a professional PCB setup which unfortunately wont happen Journalist Najam Sethi enjoying the post and wont relinquish it. Same future for Pakistan Cricket as was for Pakistan Hockey and Squash! This team is in the league of WI, BD, Kenya, Ireland and Zimbabwe. Long Live inept PCB!

MAN_AT_WORK
on November 8, 2013, 21:21 GMT

Pakistan can make a game soo exciting ..thank you for that lol

Behind_the_Wicket
on November 8, 2013, 21:18 GMT

@ IAS2009, Totally agreed , I see him slaughtering 3 or 4 batsmen for himself just hiding his weakness of slow run scoring.He is really senseless captain & player.I don't know why many people takes his side. He makes runs for his own it is not effect team result anymore.

on November 8, 2013, 21:14 GMT

i dnt really understand pakistanis batting style...m in uk and i play wid many pakistanis here as well...they play da same as their national players..only hit sixes...they think four is jst ok..no 1 n 2s....i dnt understand their intention...wteva it is play proper cricket innit....which pakistanis cricket miss..to b honest

ibbi.kb
on November 8, 2013, 21:13 GMT

well played S.A. pakistan need to get their act together before it's too late...

Haz95
on November 8, 2013, 21:12 GMT

Very Disappointing. Well Done South Africa once again beating Pakistan on their own ground.
Better batting today, but not enough. It's sad because Pak just can't chase anything over 250. Sohaib Maqsood and Ahmed Shehzad are the only two positive aspects of Pakistan in terms of Batting. Of course mr Misbah is still there too.
The highly overrated amin was finally rested, the same needs to be done with mr akmal too. Junaid Khan was brought back and fought well.
But seriously, Pak needs to acknowledge that Hafeez is not a number 3 or above batsman, simple. He needs to bat @number 6. Hafeez is a class bowler, dunno about batting. Bring Sharjeel Khan
On a brighter note, Ahmed Shehzad proved once again that he is worthy to open for Pak for a long time, he could of gone on to make 75+ or so had that run out not happened. Sohaib Maqsood proved that he can be the replacement of Inzy himself, obviously if you're 3 wickets down, you'll have to do something. And Misbah played well, again.

roook
on November 8, 2013, 20:58 GMT

Shoiab maqsood show some good aggressive batting according to demand and played risk free shots. I think shan masood or khurram manzoor should be given opportunity instead of asad shafiq. I think razzaq should be given perference over afridi as an allrounder since we have a long tail.

Equanimous
on November 8, 2013, 20:57 GMT

It may be misleading to say that the game was lost in Steyn's over. In my opinion the game was lost much earlier. The innings wasn't paced appropriately with too much left to do in the end. That has been a consistent problem since M. Yousuf left.
It all comes down to Mental strength and belief. Pakistan do not believe in themselves. Gone are the days of Great Khan.
Its good to have a plan. If the plan is block, block block then hit. It's OK to follow that plan. But that does not mean that you do not put pressure on the opposition. Niether does it mean that you cannot have a fluid and adaptable strategy within that plan. But that requires players who believe in themselves. Apparently we do not.

sachin_vvsfan
on November 8, 2013, 20:57 GMT

That was a shocker. I expected comfortable win for pak when they needed some 40+ from 30 balls with misbah/umar still playing and afridi yet to come.

@Jadejafan , @gsingh7 i suggest you to refrain from posting comments like these which will not add any value to the discussion. SA lost the games that they should have won so many times. The pressure can get to any team. And they did beat SA in test matches. So no need to ridicule any team here.

msq13
on November 8, 2013, 20:50 GMT

Pakistan should play with 3 Batsmen, a Keeper and 7 Bowlers....Result would be same but we may reduce defeat margin...

mzm149
on November 8, 2013, 20:46 GMT

I still don't get it why is Asad Shafiq is in the team after so many failures? Please drop him from ODIs once and for all.

Now we have lost the series we can try to find out the best combination and order by experimenting. It won't hurt. I would suggest.

Beware Sohaib Maqsood, Pakistani think tank may ruin you like Nasir Jamshed, Ahmad Shahzad.... Be positive and play your natural game (with big heart)
Misbah's playing role.....block,block,block-----slog,slog,slog and OUT

samramzan
on November 8, 2013, 20:36 GMT

damn.. I would say Man of the match Hafeez, should be drop now. He caused run out for Shahzad and almost got maqsood. Was he trying to ruin others game to save himself, then got out after wasting too much balls.
Afridi is no use and Misbah, he can't even take the continuous single. What happened to the team?
Instead of all respect to SA, they played very well

ICCexpert....
on November 8, 2013, 20:22 GMT

Most of the people who felt players like Maqsood, Shehzad, Umer Akmal and Haris Sohail should get a chance ahead of the TTF's were right, here we are watching Shehzad justifying his selection, Maqsood justifying his selection, Umer Akmal did wonderfully well in the west indies and I hope he gets back to scoring runs in this series too... now if they can get rid of Amin and Shafiq to get Haris Sohail in, that'll pretty much be the perfect Pakistan team with Jamshed and Possibly Fawad waiting on the bench.

Selectors must give preference to domestic performances and results will show, irrespective of what happens in this match and series, Shehzad and Maqsood are two huge positives to have come out! It's not just the runs they've scored, but the shots they have played, Shehzad has shown that he belongs to this stage and Maqsood's fearless approach has been the most refreshing thing I've seen in a very long time with respect to pakistan cricket.

ICCexpert....
on November 8, 2013, 20:21 GMT

You have had Umar Amin get God knows how many games and more often that not he has failed. His List A average on the Flat Pitches of Pakistan is a measly 32.

If he has that average in Pakistan against our Domestic bowlers, what makes everyone (his fans) think that he's going to be the real deal just because when he defends the ball its pleasing to the eye?

And then when he fails, all you seem so surprised because he hasn't lived upto his expectations? He's been below par to a below par List A average, that should tell you something, he hasn't even showed Internationally that he can maintain a 32 average.

If he's averaging 32 in domestic, then just like his stats are now, he's going to be averaging 15-20 internationally.

Then you have Sohaib Maqsood who averages 51 in domestic cricket, and in this match right now he shows you WHY he averages so much. Its the mans first game and he's looked better than Umar Amin ever looked. And this is the first time he's facing bowlers like Steyn,

LaKe_pLaCiD78
on November 8, 2013, 20:20 GMT

This is why Pakistani team is called so much humdrum.. It's time to get rid of some old folks in the team now.
Bring new blood like Sohaib, Ahmed, Haris, Umar & let them play for one year atleast. No matters win or lose. No matters what scores they will do… We cannot hold more expectations from these perished players like Afridi/Misbah & most importantly Hafeez… Even our PCB body needs complete overhauling… Coaches/Selectors/Board management…
Wake up PCB... Wake up Pakistan… for the sake of game of Cricket :(

ICCexpert....
on November 8, 2013, 20:20 GMT

Umar Amin,Hafeez and Asad Shafiq averages 32 in domestic cricket, then you shouldn't be surprised if they are not doing so well, Amin hasn't even showed some glimpse of being a good player. And right now Maqsood who averages 51 in domestic, has looked better than Shafiq, Amin, Umar Akmal, Sharjeel Khan is another example of 50 plus average and a strike rate of 100. why isnt he in the team?

Temuzin
on November 8, 2013, 20:16 GMT

Approximately 3 years and Pak hasn't chased down a total of 250 and above. It tells a lot about their pathetic batting line up which always spoils good work of their bowlers. They definitely need two good batsmen to stay competitive.

ICCexpert....
on November 8, 2013, 20:08 GMT

time to drop Hafeez,Asad, Afridi. And more players like Maqsood from domestic cricket need to be selected, Sharjeel Khan should be selected for next series.

StarHawk
on November 8, 2013, 20:07 GMT

Yet again, Misbah gets the team so close, but chokes before achieving victory. He is a very good batsman, but not a good finisher.

2nd_Slip
on November 8, 2013, 20:06 GMT

@SurlyCynic comletely agree with you on Domingo's strange selections but I presume he doesn't want to change too much from what Garry already started building. Another strange selection in both ODI and test cricket is the repeated selection of Faf, who I feel apart from his match saving innings in Aus a year ago, hasn't done anything extra ordinary to warrant him a guaranteed spot in the team. Elgar,Rusouw and Ingram(down the order where he most comfortable) can do better than what he is doing at the moment. Hope Henry Davids is selected ahead for FAf and get Amla to come in at 3 with everyone else shifting one position down the order and Parnell for Morkel for the last ODI since the series is won already.

Wajih1728
on November 8, 2013, 20:02 GMT

have anybody noticed y Pak r totally different side in T20s.... bcz of the mindset of their batsmen in tht format.... thy dont know how to stay on the wkt.... y thy missing the trick to rotate the strikes in the middle overs or when thy r facng the strike bowlers.... the difference btwn Class player and a mediocre is their Avg Vs their strike rate howerver, our batsmen hav opposite... thy just need to work on their MINDSET nothng else... Shahzad and Sohaib were stand out....someone (coach/captain) needs to tel thm how to build the innings...

on November 8, 2013, 19:58 GMT

sohail Tanvir did not deserve to be sent before Umar Akmal,he can not play in pressure. Afridi and Umar Akmal need to be sent at upper order.Bad luck for Pakistan that could not win a bilateral series from SA. Good luck for next times.

Cricdew
on November 8, 2013, 19:52 GMT

Well Played Shoaib Maqsood..........Hope Pakistani Team Management will utilize him properly.Do not waste him,just as you people are doing to Umar Akmal...I have not getting any sense why UMAR has been pushed down the order..Such an exciting prospect ...words from an Indian ...

Captain_Tuk_Tuk
on November 8, 2013, 19:50 GMT

@Khurram S Chaudhry
I admire your loyalty towards Misbah but it was Misbah's fault sending Tanveer in batting power-play. He wasted Afridi and send him when team needed 37 on 14 with greatest death bowling attack of South Africa. Afridi couldn't connect on a good ball he tried to respect good balls and rotate strike and we all know what happened.

One last thing South Africa have most balanced bowling attack in the world with Imran Tahir in the spin department and Styen and Morkel in pace department chasing 266 was a big ask but we got closer thanks to Shoaib Maqsood. Misbah never finishes the match he just gets closer to the target and chokes. I have seen many matches of Misbah where he choked, maybe he has fear of victory.

PureProteas49
on November 8, 2013, 19:46 GMT

Absolutely brilliant, Well played men, Dales 3 in an over sealed the deal, Convincing series victory, lets finish them 4-1 on monday

InsideHedge
on November 8, 2013, 19:45 GMT

Steyn is a potent force in Tests but he can be taken for runs in ODIs played on flat tracks. Yet, the Pak batsmen were like rabbits in headlights against Steyn, he didn't even need to be attacked, just carefully milked. 4 RPO off his last 4 overs (without losing a wkt) was perfectly acceptable.

Very poor thinking. Once again, Misbah is the shining light, a lone hand. You know the batting is bad when you start making Imran Tahir look like Shane Warne. Tahir has had a real tough time in international cricket - until now - you'd have expected the Pak batsmen to handle his leg spin bowling. Then there's Tsotsobe who outside SA is notoriously poor, he's making hay too. Morkel is another guy who goes for runs in ODIs, on slower wickets he's 1/2 the bowler given his need for bounce.

Good thing Pak have strengthened ties with SA, their batters need all the help they can get.

NP_NY
on November 8, 2013, 19:44 GMT

Pak team is too dependent on their bowling like India is on their batting. That becomes a problem when the bowling unit doesn't click. The batsmen lost two games they should have easily won. One thing for sure, Dhoni and co would have never lost games like these. And Afridi is way past his use-by date, the sooner the Pak selectors realize this the better for the team.

bouncer709
on November 8, 2013, 19:37 GMT

Turning point of this match was sending Sohail Tanvir ahead of Umer Akmal and Afridi. can't believe first you send umer Akmal to bat at no.6, now seeing Sohail Tanvir playing one good innings, and you started thinking he is better than Umer Akmal and Afridi. what are the expectation of Misbah from Umer Akmal at No.7? . This team is Hijaked by Misbah and Hafeez.

InsideHedge
on November 8, 2013, 19:37 GMT

Serious questions need to be asked of Dav Whatmore and his coaching staff. I'm surprised at how long he's lasted. Then again, his Indian counterpart, Duncan Fletcher, surprisingly kept his job despite a horrendous run in overseas Tests.

By all accounts Pak should have won this game given where they were with 12 overs left in the match. It wasn't long ago when their tail was stronger than the top half in ODIs, but they've wasted the talents of players such as Razzaq & Azhar Mahmood. Guys like these don't come along too often. Now, they've got bowlers (good ones) but who can't really hold any aspirations to batting. 5 down and they start looking shaky, a quick look at their tail and you always get the impression they won't add too many more runs.

on November 8, 2013, 19:33 GMT

Better Performance by the team but still need to make few adjustments. If Shoaib Maqsood had been playing since game 1, the results could have been different.

Credit to SA for winning the series but today, there was great assistance from Hafeez by dropping De Kock, running out Shezhad and playing a selfish innings (strike rate of 55.00).

Anyway, I want to thank Maqsood for showing the entire world, how much politics there is regarding selection because he was being kept back just like: Harris, Fawad (especially in Tests), Sharjeel and by destroying U. Akmal's career at no. 6.

on November 8, 2013, 19:29 GMT

45th ovr (Tsotsobe) and46th (Morkel) only 5 runs scored i think woz the turning point in the chase,Akmal just tried slogging in them 2ovz as usual and put pressure on Misbah who alongside maqsood batted really well,never trust players like Akmal and Afridi just pure CLOWNS with the bat embarrasment 2 the country they never learn from their mistakes and only can bat 1 way like club cricketers..Afridi should just retire after nearly 400 games he still cant bat according to game need..Thank god we have Misbah at least he makes a game of it..or else we wud struggle to make 130+...

bouncer709
on November 8, 2013, 19:26 GMT

@gsingh7 : Pak vs India (125 ODIs) Pakistan won 71, India won 50, Total test (21) Pakistan won 12, India 7..... and this Pakistan lost series to SA in UAE, but won against India in Indians home.

on November 8, 2013, 19:23 GMT

Hoping that this new Sensation (Maqsood) doesn't follow the SET-PATTERN of Promising Pak youngsters.

bouncer709
on November 8, 2013, 19:21 GMT

@Khurram S Chaudhry: Dear 36 of 18 ball asking from Afridi is not too much, but if on one end he is seeing Saeed Ajmal getting out, and other end he see Irfan coming to bat, and only Junaid left behind, what do you expect?... D.styn 9 overs 20 runs, 5 wkts, and in his last over you expect Afridi to get 20 runs from him?

on November 8, 2013, 19:20 GMT

This loss would be hard to swallow for Pakistan team and from Mohammad Hafeez perspective when they look back at 33 off 60 balls then out without a 50 and didnt do much good as a opener its not going to be good for him. Misbah-ul-Haq played superb knock and so did Shehzad and Sohaib masha allah . Its time pakistan try more players from domestic cricket who have good averages and its time perhaps Hafeez either doesnt bat or bat lower down at 5 or 6 . That wicket of Sohail tanvir after Sohaib Maqsood got out cost pakistan the match as his 1 of 5 then out put only pressure and zero support for Misbah-ul-Haq and pakistan cause. Umar akmal was expected to rotate strike or hit boundary but when he couldnt do both he preferred to hit 6 but as usual these sixes didnt go far and got caught like in past for pakistan , these sort of same dismissal's cost pakistan matches and series loss then eventually. O yes now about Asad Shafiq was no good to the cause & South Africa Brillient series welldone

gsingh7
on November 8, 2013, 19:10 GMT

pak loses yet again at their home venues in uae. first england whitewashed them 4-0 . then lost matches to aus now sa defeated them in uae. i guess they need to start playing in pak as at uae they have dismal record in odis. even in last test they were beaten by an innings margin. have uae wickets changed character? or is it lack of talented youngsters who are not selected in team? either one is true.

Jadejafan
on November 8, 2013, 19:07 GMT

Pakistan are a declining Cricket team. Despite the team being much older and far more experienced, the younger SA team still managed to win the series with a game to spare. Even Ireland, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh can challenge and beat them now.

on November 8, 2013, 19:05 GMT

shame on pak team look at indiab team learn something from them

IAS2009
on November 8, 2013, 19:05 GMT

Pakistan way of loosing ODI in chasing is (no matter what is the score) under Misbah,
1. Block every ball (singles not allowed)
2. Block until the RR doubles.
3. Start swinging at everything after 40th over.
4. Loose the game.
Shame on Board not getting rid of Misbah. it is time now to look forward. How come all good stroke makers turn mediocre. there is no progress under misbah.
examples
Ahamd Shehzad lost his aggressive.
Nasir Jamshed will probably out
Asad Shfaique turning into biggest disappointment.
Misbah don't don't play to situation, don't know which bowlers to pick on, he slogs and block only, this is why he is not a finisher, he looses his wicket at critical point always, all the new batsman follow his footstep. Watch how indian batsmen played against Aussies in big chases, they played according to situation in the game, no slog just used better technique by reading the game.

on November 8, 2013, 19:04 GMT

hafeez got shehzad run out and lost the match.

kc69
on November 8, 2013, 19:03 GMT

There seems to be a huge difference between SA with Steyn and SA without Steyn because i believe Pakistan was well on course to win this match where Dale Steyn Stuck in who is probably the best Pacer in the world.Not to mention that this looks like a series between two contrasting fielding sides in cricket.

on November 8, 2013, 19:02 GMT

Afridis run out saved his face. He doesnt looked like connecting any today.

In the end good win for SA. they batted well. young keeper got 1st 100. though he got some let offs but he made them count. & pakistan's history of a catch drop - hit 100 continues. pathetic show by pak in field. Why waste money on fielding coaches?

In batting ahmed & hafeez were slow but solid until a moment of madness came in . A run out - then a nearly run out - then a superb ball to get rid of hafeez - then another wicket.

Maqsood played well. fearless. but i think he got carried away . far too many hitting. he & misbah gave hope but out at wrong time.

Umar akmal played ok early on but his problem is if he plays some dot balls he just do silly.

Misbah played well but fell at wrong time. i dont get it that was not last over. why try hitting best bowler?

1st odi counted in the end for pakistan. they let off a chance to win.

Crick_Chater
on November 8, 2013, 19:00 GMT

It is high time to scrutinize the selection process in Pak Team and should look for culprits in higher management who are not giving chances to top domestic performers(batting wise) a due chance in this team.

Well done Sohaib.Pak Team picked the wrong bowler to attack. They should have played defensively and cautiously against Steyn.

on November 8, 2013, 18:59 GMT

Afridis run out saved his face. He doesnt looked like connecting any today.

In the end good win for SA. they batted well. young keeper got 1st 100. though he got some let offs but he made them count. & pakistan's history of a catch drop - hit 100 continues. pathetic show by pak in field. Why waste money on fielding coaches?

In batting ahmed & hafeez were slow but solid until a moment of madness came in . A run out - then a nearly run out - then a superb ball to get rid of hafeez - then another wicket.

Maqsood played well. fearless. but i think he got carried away . far too many hitting. he & misbah gave hope but out at wrong time.

Umar akmal played ok early on but his problem is if he plays some dot balls he just do silly.

Misbah played well but fell at wrong time. i dont get it that was not last over. why try hitting best bowler?

Afridi wasnt able to connect at all in his stay & run out .

Night_Fury
on November 8, 2013, 18:59 GMT

Pakistan done and dusted..same old story

on November 8, 2013, 18:48 GMT

steyn's 1 over with 3 wickets has nailed it. Was it the last over? i dont understand why misbah & umar have to hit the best bowler in that over? Umar akmals problem is that if he plays 5-6 dot balls he will do silly but misbah also played wrong shot at wrong time.

36 off 18 too much to ask from afridi?

on November 8, 2013, 18:48 GMT

this needed classic MSD style finish..
out of three over left after the 46th one over from Steyn and two from probably McLaren..
misbah could easily have targeted with one of them and with afridi around it was possible
bit world becoming more of as usuals

on November 8, 2013, 18:45 GMT

All of sudden from a good position misbah and umar gave it up. Umar is easy wicket . just dry his runs for 1-2 overs and he will go silly.

Misbah played well but that was a poor shot. he should have stayed there.

too much to ask afridi

on November 8, 2013, 18:21 GMT

Don't understand why it started leaking in Pak Batting camp when they reach at 170 runs. I was excited by this newcomer who showed no mercy to this overhyped attack mostly by 3 cricketing bosses of fans over 100 years. Why this so called most devastating attack need sledging if they think that they can do much better with ball? I am fed up with such downplay. I hope Pak won't disappoint fans like me who still believe that match is in their grip but they should realize from their hearts. It's all about fearless approach my dear!!!!!

Wajih1728
on November 8, 2013, 18:16 GMT

the debutant has done more than wht has been asked now its time fr seniors to cross the line....

on November 8, 2013, 18:11 GMT

Why are pakistan batsmans prefer hitting sixes and then out ; not impressed sorry as 4's can do the same damage and without loosing any wickets and loosing matches.

on November 8, 2013, 18:07 GMT

I dont trust Afridi batting to be sensible ; though he could have been a great batsman but he decided to be a slogger, slogger means going after every delivery good or bad for a SIX and getting out.

on November 8, 2013, 18:03 GMT

Shoaib Maqsood blazing innings comes to an end. What a debut 50.... very confident innings. Now he is out... is it a U-turn for Pakistani innings.... the momentum should go on... its a must win match for Pakistan to save the series.

on November 8, 2013, 18:01 GMT

well played by sohaib maqsood. But i think he got carried away and too many hitting in last few balls . But very good and fearless innings. It proved again that if you have good record in easy level (domestic circuit ), you will be good at intl level.

bouncer709
on November 8, 2013, 17:45 GMT

Pak 150/3 (33 overs), S. Maqsood 37 (37 balls), just imagine Umer Amin playing instead of Maqsood here, his score would be 15 runs (37 bals) and pak could be arround 125 (33 overs) at this stage. This is the difference between positive and negative approach, Sohaib is not sparing any bad ball. and Pakistan is still in the game.

on November 8, 2013, 17:31 GMT

It's quite difficult to understand the logic of Pak selectors. They have been selecting pathetic batting line ups series after series & a fine batsman Shoaib Maqsood with 43+ FC average, 50+ List A average at 97+ strike rate and mid 20s average at 130 strike rate in T20 is beginning his international career at the age of 26... Even if he is beginning his career now is ok to an extent if he is not one of the chair in musical chair like batting selection... I am not sure how good the quality of this batsman is but definitely his domestic record suggests that he has substance... At least better than Hafeez, Amin etc etc...

on November 8, 2013, 17:30 GMT

Sohaib Maqsood is playing a very confident innings. Hope for the best.

on November 8, 2013, 17:02 GMT

successive wickets fall down does create pressure... wickets few minutes 3 batsman got out , one was run out, other was bowled and the third with a catch. Build your innings is the KEY here.

on November 8, 2013, 17:00 GMT

moments of madness. a run out. then almost another run out. then a brilliant ball and another set batsmen gone then new batsman gone .

Crick_Chater
on November 8, 2013, 16:58 GMT

Pakistan needs to build their batting order around ahmed, shirjeel, sohaib, harris sohail and awais zia. They should get rid of some much hyped, much talked but lesser than their image kind of players.

Cpt.Meanster
on November 8, 2013, 16:55 GMT

Absolutely pathetic to watch PAK bat. I feel sorry for their fans. SA should win this one quite easily.

romirom
on November 8, 2013, 16:43 GMT

what the hel hafez is doing? Playing wit strike rate of 50 and running out partner.

on November 8, 2013, 16:42 GMT

What are they doing? When nothing was working for SA bowlers, a run out by amazing ABD came . and hafeez almost run out Maqsood. there was also a bad mix up early on.

ICCexpert....
on November 8, 2013, 16:08 GMT

I dont understand the tactics employed by pakistani batsmen. The block the first 10 overs, then from 10-15 they lose the top order. Mistabh takes over and loses wickets on the other side until 35. Then comes the tailender to do some slogging

on November 8, 2013, 16:08 GMT

Only Extensive partnerships in this can make GreenShirt's way to win & stay alive in the series "BROTHER"

on November 8, 2013, 15:43 GMT

solid display indeed. well done lad

SurlyCynic
on November 8, 2013, 15:41 GMT

Great to see De Kock make that hundred. For a 20 yr old keeper, opening the batting against the Pakistan bowlers in the UAE, he has performed exceptionally since he came into the team last game.

Which makes me wonder once again why Ingram was brought in as last minute 'cover' and then played ahead of De Kock, esp as Ingram is not an opener? This was as baffling as Peterson playing instead of Tahir in the first test, as many of us said here at the time. I realise Domingo is familiar with Ingram and Peterson from his time at provincial level but he has been making some strange and costly decisions and needs to consider his selections more carefully.

ICCexpert....
on November 8, 2013, 15:38 GMT

I dont understand the tactics employed by pakistani batsmen. The block the first 10 overs, then from 10-15 they lose the top order. Mistabh tuk tuk takes over until 35 overs. Then comes the tailender to do some slogging

on November 8, 2013, 15:24 GMT

This Pak team is a big joke, with a fragile batting lineup and weak temperament a series defeat is apparent. Karan Akmal, Razzaq and Gul should have been given a chance. Shahid Afridi is no good anyway and Misbah looks completely out of form, hence even the experienced lot is a burden on the team.

Darvesh
on November 8, 2013, 15:23 GMT

oh my God ... Hafeez has lasted two full overs!!! they must have sat down last night to discuss their flaws and weaknesses.

ball_boy
on November 8, 2013, 15:19 GMT

Pakis cannot communicate with foriegners,even if they know the language talking with a foriegner in his style of language is different from talking with a fellowman in his mothertongue or even in english.These guys are more rustuc and unpolished diamonds.These have to be polished by their own seniors minus the politics.Besides if you think that bringing a foriegner adds quality then why not take a consultant for few months who will tell the finer points of the game.Inzi, Waquar,Wasim,Saeed Anwar,Miandad,Saqlain,all these powerhouses are there for what purpose.Besides dont waste money in a already impoverished and negligible Board.Yes the lack of international cricket in the country does hurt but then u have to turn your heads not to your left but to your right.yes i am talking about the Afghanis,they posess strength unlike Indians,and are being coached by the Paki seniors.So stop looking outwards,look inwards.

Resultpredictor
on November 8, 2013, 15:17 GMT

Pak collapse starts in few minutes

Temporaj
on November 8, 2013, 15:09 GMT

What about Pakistan outsource their batting to India to keep the series alive.

on November 8, 2013, 15:01 GMT

Dear Mr Captain Tuk Tuk. Can we puhhhleeeeze for the love of God try something different. Send Afridi up or another hitter to score some quick runs. Do something different, lets surprise them.

on November 8, 2013, 14:57 GMT

If Pakistan wants to win this one then someone must score a Century and a half century ...

sameesafee
on November 8, 2013, 14:51 GMT

I am afraid if you don't improve your cricket you can't compete at this level.It's very very disappointing to see that Pakistan struggle to chase even the score around 200.

Greatest_Game
on November 8, 2013, 14:49 GMT

Quintin de Kock has shown exactly why so many have called for his inclusion in the Proteas setup. He has the skill and temperament to develope into an invaluable asset for the next 15 or more years - another Boucher in the making, and a top class batsman to boot.

Hopefully those agitators who so blindly insisted that Thami Tsolokile, a great keeper but below average batsman, should have been handed the gloves in the twilight of his career, might now reconsider their insistence that a player should be selected on criteria other than their value to the team!

golgoal
on November 8, 2013, 14:47 GMT

as people in world cricket have been saying, pak bowlers are very fragile under pressure. what happened to the psychologist that dave whatmore was planning to bring on board for pakistan team's weak mental situation?? what else are we waiting for? already losing test and one day matches to ireland and zimbabwe.

on November 8, 2013, 14:42 GMT

So great to see young QdK living up to his full potential. We look forward to many more tons from him. I wish him a very long successful international cricket career!

Misbah is also looking faint pic in this series. Oh, c'mon Guys!! Don't put your shoulders down. You can cross 265 also. But you need to believe in yourselves.

golgoal
on November 8, 2013, 14:28 GMT

my prediction -> pak all out for 200. sa win the series.

Darvesh
on November 8, 2013, 14:15 GMT

while the SA batting is wrapping up, let me already give you a break up of how Pak batting will fold in yet another display of pathetic performance:
Hafeez will as usual go back under 25, Asad will trudge back in 25, Misbah is a toss up, Akmal and Afridi back to dressing room under 20 and Pak will remain close to 175.

Darvesh
on November 8, 2013, 14:00 GMT

at 200 already on the score board, Pakistan has already lost the series now. I had said in the 3rd ODI that Pak would most likely fold around 170 - the current Pak team has absolutely no hope or chance to learn from their mistakes and improve. This lot comprise of listless players who in most other countries wouldn't make it past club level teams yet they constantly make up the national side here. No hopes, series is already lost now.

on November 8, 2013, 13:52 GMT

Looks like Pakistan play with toss only. as soon as they loose toss , they lost it 50%.

Look at that fielding effort. Why waste so much money with fielding coaches? Drop catch, miss fields, cant hit stumps, and missed a clear run out. Should not waste money on foreign coach really.

wanatawu
on November 8, 2013, 13:46 GMT

Brilliant Qdk, to slam Irfan for six to get his century.

on November 8, 2013, 13:27 GMT

i think pakistan will win this odi with 4 wickets. just wait n watch

wanatawu
on November 8, 2013, 13:15 GMT

Qdk must score a century today

on November 8, 2013, 13:11 GMT

Pakistan need a senior bowler and batsman like Abul Razzaq and Younis Khan in the team as the team is not doing well in all the formats of the game. Remember Misbah is the only player who was playing in this team and he has been over loaded due to non performance of the top-order. If they add Razzaq and Younis and ask Afridi to open the innings this will help them.
I also think pace-bowling all-rounder is needed by Pakistan Wahab and Tanvir are not good batsman and another drawback is all the pacer are left-handed and their lines are predictable.

Wajih1728
on November 8, 2013, 13:10 GMT

An interestng fact fr Pak cricket lovers...... Pak have never chased 250+ since 2011... Good luck for the today's chase on a decisive game of the series....it is now high team to end this chasing draught on Pak favoring condition.... otherwise dont think outstanding battng performance in forthcomng series at SA.....

Resultpredictor
on November 8, 2013, 12:53 GMT

Simple question: SA wins by how many runs? Lets see how many of you will answer correctly

ICCexpert....
on November 8, 2013, 12:53 GMT

Misbah doesnt know about domestic players, he didnt know Hammad Azam and Umar Amin could bowl when they was playing and same about Sohaib Maqsood. Sohaib Maqsood is an alrounder, why is he not bowling? Some one tell Misbah please

Lets_Bash_Indians
on November 8, 2013, 12:51 GMT

Pakistan guys,,,where is Umar gul. isn't he good enough

ICCexpert....
on November 8, 2013, 12:46 GMT

Misbah has to learn from Dhoni and make part-timers in to real alrounders like, Yuvraj, Jadeja, Riana, Kohli etc. Why isnt he giving the ball to Sohaib Maqsood, he is useful off spinner.

on November 8, 2013, 12:41 GMT

pakistan are a poor side in odis especially at uae.last time England played their , they were whitewashed 4-0 by kp and co. Australia too defeated them at their alleged homegrounds and home crowds.this will be 3 rd successive series loss for pak in uae.

coolitbaby
on November 8, 2013, 12:34 GMT

oops looks like another hammering is in store for pakistan. brought down to earth with a thud !!

ICCexpert....
on November 8, 2013, 12:30 GMT

why isnt Misbah having the guts, he should give Maqsood the ball, he is a useful off spinner.

coolitbaby
on November 8, 2013, 12:21 GMT

hmm looks like another hammering is in store for the pakistanis. where are the super duper bowlers the pakistanis keep boasting about?? nowhere to be found in high pressure games.

on November 8, 2013, 12:17 GMT

nobody wants him in the team and then he dropped an important catch.....

on November 8, 2013, 12:12 GMT

already 80/0 . Pakistan's overrated bowling attack is being hit to all corners of ground.150 wud be enough to win deciding match of series. anything above will be a bonus.

Cric_fever_forever
on November 8, 2013, 12:09 GMT

they are looking flat in the field. nothing happing for them.body language is down. and they lost the toss also. seems like huge task pak batting are going to face tody.

on November 8, 2013, 12:08 GMT

Wise thing today for pakistan is to Bat Mr Hafeez lower down the Order maybe as he may do better and he's just NOT a Opener definitely and he;s proved that with his past.

but losing toss and chasing will play in their minds.
already a drop chance in field and looks like after losing toss they have already lost half of the battle.

and we fans also bit disappointed after losing toss.

mzm149
on November 8, 2013, 11:47 GMT

Good to see Junaid back.

Game is over for Pakistan after losing toss on batting friendly wicket. This time South Africa will make 300.

It looks insane to drop a player second time on the same venue where due to his 97 runs Pakistan successfully chased 249 against Australia last year.

ihaq1
on November 8, 2013, 11:43 GMT

i thought that they would slot in jamshed in teh middle order ...although masood should have been played from the start...when they have six bowlers they can slot in another batsman

roook
on November 8, 2013, 11:27 GMT

Series is over for Pakistan poor batting line up no one averages above 30 accept misbah and u akmal. So we are believing Maqsood on debut will save the day for Pakistan and on the flat track we will out SA under 250. 250 is under par these days lack of ability to rotate strike and inexperience is costing Pakistan.

wanatawu
on November 8, 2013, 11:22 GMT

Think Amla is gonna make up for that 10 he scored on Wednesday

on November 8, 2013, 11:11 GMT

if south africa scores above 200 ..match over fr pakisthan..i dnt reacall this pak team scorin 250..since a long time..

proteasfire
on November 9, 2013, 1:12 GMT

Congratulations SA !! A thorough all round performance and deservingly winning the series. Great innings by DeKock. The yougster proved his talent and is a great future for South Africa. Dale Steyn after a long time has shown in wicket taking abilities in ODIs. Excellent performance from world's best fast bowler! Fielding was spot on for South Africa and Morne Morkel's catch to dismiss Umar Akmal needs a special mention. He made a tough catch look so easy. AB will feel much relieved and happy and is a terrific comeback for SA after poor outing in Champions Trophy, SL tour etc. After a long time SA have won two matches consecutively. This eleven looks so good and they need to give them a fair run. Kudos SA and keep up the consistency to become a top notch team again!!

malepas
on November 8, 2013, 21:40 GMT

Well played SA, Pak lost but will rue handing the first match and not picking the right people for next 2 matches, refreshing to watch Sohaib a good one for future, hope Pak will stop bringing back Umer Amin again and again,,he is not ready yet,, I think De-Villiers made a huge impact in this match with his fielding and it will be right to say that SA won this match because of its fielding. I think Afridi is seriously hurting PAK with lack of his batting confidence at a very crucial position,,Team needs a "FIRING" big hitter not one hit and
10 miss kind of player,,I can't see Afridi getting anywhere with his batting against top class pace attacks as they know what to bowl at him.
Pak lower order is too shallow and weak in batting which makes Afridi position is more important.

on November 8, 2013, 11:11 GMT

if south africa scores above 200 ..match over fr pakisthan..i dnt reacall this pak team scorin 250..since a long time..

wanatawu
on November 8, 2013, 11:22 GMT

Think Amla is gonna make up for that 10 he scored on Wednesday

roook
on November 8, 2013, 11:27 GMT

Series is over for Pakistan poor batting line up no one averages above 30 accept misbah and u akmal. So we are believing Maqsood on debut will save the day for Pakistan and on the flat track we will out SA under 250. 250 is under par these days lack of ability to rotate strike and inexperience is costing Pakistan.

ihaq1
on November 8, 2013, 11:43 GMT

i thought that they would slot in jamshed in teh middle order ...although masood should have been played from the start...when they have six bowlers they can slot in another batsman

mzm149
on November 8, 2013, 11:47 GMT

Good to see Junaid back.

Game is over for Pakistan after losing toss on batting friendly wicket. This time South Africa will make 300.

It looks insane to drop a player second time on the same venue where due to his 97 runs Pakistan successfully chased 249 against Australia last year.